Monday, 7 March 2016

Congress has double standards in terrorism, national security: BJP

"Though there should be freedom of speech and freedom to criticise
anybody, nobody can criticise India as a nation," party national
spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said while referring to the JNU row at a press
conference here.

Thiruvananthapuram, Mar 5: BJP today accused Congress of
adopting double standards on sensitive issues like national security and
terrorism for the sake of vote bank politics. ”Though there should be
freedom of speech and freedom to criticise anybody, nobody can criticise India
as a nation,” party national spokesperson Sudhanshu
Trivedi said while referring to the JNU row at a press conference
here. He also said JNU Students Union president Kanhaiya Kumar’s recent
statement that Afzal Guru was not his idol was a sign of ‘changes’ happening in
the Delhi-based university due to “pressure” from the people of the
country. He said it was ridiculous for Congress to support phrases like
‘judicial killing’ of Guru. Also Read: JNU
incidents are unfortunate: BJP MP Adityanath

“When the grand old party of India – Congress – supports phrases
like judicial killing, it means you are accusing the Supreme Court of India,
President and even the UPA government itself. It shows clear double standards
of Congress even on sensitive issues of national security and terrorism,” he
said. ”As per our Constitution, three things are there for which every
citizen should have firm commitment — sovereignty, integrity and unity. There
cannot be a scope of ‘if’ or ‘why’ in the things related to them,” Trivedi
said. Whatever the issue – corruption, criminalisation or even terrorism
and national security – Congress consistently does things for vote bank
politics and it is unfortunate, he said.

He alleged that it was also part of politics for Congress to speak
in favour of those accused of terror and use words of respect while addressing
them. ”A Congress spokesperson used the term Afzalji to address Afzal
Guru. ”Previously Digvijay Singh had used the term Osama ji (addressing
Osama bin Laden). ”Then another Congress leader had used the phrase Hafiz
sahib (to address Hafiz Muhammed Saeed),” he said. ”I want to ask them,
why this type of respectable words like ‘ji’ and ‘sahib’ come from the side of
the Congress party to address those who are accused of terror,” he questioned.

On Kanhaiya’s recent statement that “We want freedom in India, not
freedom from India”, Trivedi said he had earlier talked only about ‘freedom’
and not ‘freedom within India’. “This change is due to pressure from people of
the country.” The BJP leader also asked whether Kanhaiya had ever
expressed solidarity towards martyrs. “They?had conducted so many programmes
for those who are accused of terror, but never one for soldiers or those who
laid down their lives.” He recalled while Kanhaiya had said he had no
solidarity towards Guru, it meant changes are coming up. “It is because of
pressure from people of India, things are starting going to change,” he said.